


Fireflies

by small_blue_owl



Category: Where the Crawdads Sing - Delia Owens
Genre: Canon Compliant, Chase is Not a Good Person, Chase's Shell Necklace, Does it count as major character death if it's canon?, F/M, Kya Knows the Marsh, Kya doesn't love Chase, Living like the Fireflies, Missing Scene, Murder, Past Sexual Assault, Still Can't Tag, The Scene at The Fire Tower, but Chase doesn't know that, idk - Freeform, lots of them - Freeform, nature metaphors
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:54:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27978435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/small_blue_owl/pseuds/small_blue_owl
Summary: Something transpired between Kya and Chase that night. The courts didn't find it, but that doesn't mean it wasn't there...(NOTE: If you have not read the book, there are spoilers ahead. You have been warned)
Relationships: Kya Clark/Chase Andrews (Where the Crawdads Sing)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 5





	Fireflies

**Author's Note:**

> Well if I'm not very mistaken, this is the first fic in this fandom. Which blows my mind. This story is practically asking for fan fics. If there is a place for fic from this book that I don't know about, please direct me to it. I would love to read. Anyway, this is my take on what happened the night of October 29, 1969 in Barkley Cove at the fire tower somewhere around 2:00 in the morning. If you haven't read the book, I highly recommend it. (Note: I don't own the poem at the beginning. It is lifted straight from the book.)

The Firefly

_Luring him was as easy_

_As flashing valentines._

_But like a lady firefly_

_They hid a secret call to die._

_A final touch,_

_Unfinished;_

_The last step, a trap._

_Down, down he falls,_

_His eyes still holding mine_

_Until they see another world._

_I saw them change._

_First a question,_

_Then an answer,_

_Finally, an end._

_And love itself passing_

_To whatever it was before it began._

A.H

***********

1969

Kya sat at her kitchen table, painting a feather, carefully letting her brush glide across the paper. It was late afternoon, and she could feel the oppressive silence and the remnant of summer heat still in the air. She looked up from her work, gazing into space.

The light played on her face. A pale-yellow patch on her left cheek, however, was not the fault of the light. The bruises sickening colors had almost faded, but the memory had not. Would not. She could still hear Chase’s voice, see his leering smile, feel the unwanted touch. Nothing would heal it.

She had lived in fear this past month, jumping at every sound, disturbance in the birds, or unfamiliar boat. She would not get caught again. She knew Chase was no better than any wild animal. Lured her close, done what he was after, and broken her heart. As the sun started to set, a few fireflies floated past her door, flashing their alluring patterns, sparkling little liars. Kya dropped her eyes and sighed.

But her gaze rested on the table where the letter from her publisher lay. An invitation to Greenville. She smiled tightly as fireflies danced through her mind.

***********

Kya had never written a letter before. She’d written notes to her publisher and to Tate but never a formal letter. As she labored over these words to Chase, trying to make them sound just right, she wondered at her own effort. She never thought she would do anything for Chase again let alone write him a letter. It made her sick to write the words “I’m sorry for being so mean to you. I didn’t mean it that way. I’m so sorry and I still love you.” It felt so wrong to write these words, these lies.

But she knew she had to. She had taken clues from nature her whole life. This was just another.

The rest was easy to write. “I want to meet up with you…” “Maybe near that old fire tower….” “I just wanna talk.” That was simple. She took the letter in her hands and carefully folded it. Now all she had to do was wait. Instinctively looking around her, she set it on the table where it could be seen if anyone came into the shack.

The evenings were already getting cold and damp as winter crept in. Kya took her bag of breadcrumbs and headed out to her beach to feed the gulls. They flew around her in silver swirls landing on the sand right next to her to turn their inquisitive eyes up in her direction. The whining cries filled the air interrupted only shortly by the splash of the surf as the waves slithered up the shore, hissing as they retreated. As she walked home in the gathering twilight, she became aware of the low hum of a boat. Ducking into the swamp grass and palmettos, she watched the well-known, long, white ski boat dock in her channel. Chase stepped out and looked around. He called her name several times and then walked up to her door.

He knocked. “Kya?” he called “Ya there?”

Without waiting for a reply, he opened the door and walked inside. She knew he’d see the letter. He had to. It was right where he would see it. The minutes dragged on as Kya watched the door like an owl, holding her breath until she saw him reappear. He slunk back to his boat like a fox. Starting the engine with a rough, grating noise, he growled out of the channel and into the distance.

Only when the birds had stopped alarming and quiet had settled back in did Kya creep out of the palmettos to her shack. The room was already half dark but the letter on the table seemed to glow. Kya walked up to it, slowly like a cautious animal. Chase had scrawled something at the bottom of the page. The words were barely visible in the dark, but she could read them clear as day.

“I’ll meet you there.”

She stared at the page for a minute. Then silently, she built a fire in the woodstove, slide the letter into the blaze and watched it burn.

***********

It was 1:42 am.

The water was indigo as Kya slowly motored towards the fire tower. Each bunch of reeds and marsh grass and trees was black and tangled showing small patches of starlit sky. She felt as though this was all a dream. As though this wasn’t really happening, she wasn’t really doing this. Any moment, she thought, I’ll wake up in my bed at the hotel in Greenville.

She glided on through the dark water. As the fire tower slowly came into view, she was surprised at how calm she felt. She docked her boat deep in the reeds and quietly slipped into the swamp. Icy water met her toes. About three inches of water covered the whole place. As she walked towards the fire tower the swamp took her footprints and absorbed them into its murky surface leaving the waterlogged sludge as smooth and untouched as before.

The ladder was slippery and grimy at the same time as Kya slowly and carefully ascended. Once at the top she soundlessly flipped open the grate and climbed onto the wooden platform.

A Great-Horned Owl called from the nearby trees. Kya looked in its direction and smiled.

She quietly crept across the musty wooden floor and flipped open one of the grates on the far side. Then, soft as an owl, she retreated to the damp platform. She glanced at her watch. 2:01 am.

Less than a minute later, she heard the low purr of a motor. It stopped and the squelching sound of footsteps took its place. Then the thud of heavy shoes on the ladder and Chase’s starlit face rose above the platform. Kya smiled as he crept up beside her.

It was 2:03.

“I’m sorry, Kya. Really I am. I didn’t mean it to go that way.”

Kya nodded and leaned against his shoulder.

“It’s ok. I didn’t mean it either. I…” she trailed off. It was so hard to say that lie. A different pattern than she was used to. But she flashed the new pattern anyway.

“I still love you, Chase. Can we go back to the way things were? I mean like you comin’ out to visit and all?”

Chase put his arm around her. “Of course we can. I’ll be out whenever you want me, Kya. Just tell me and I’ll be there.”

Kya furtively glanced at her watch. 2:06. She had to think fast. She leaned in for a kiss, laying her hand on Chase’s cheek.

“I still love you…” she breathed. Somehow, lying the second time was easier. She was glad of the darkness though. If it had been broad daylight, she worried her face would have betrayed her. Chase kissed her so eagerly that she was slightly taken aback. Don’t be startled, she told herself, you’ve got to like it. Pretend to like it.

She kissed him back with more passion than she ever had before. This false passion was stronger than any real one she had ever felt. She was surprised at herself as she fell further into Chases arms.

“There’s my Kya.” Chase whispered. His hands slowly travelled to her waist. She backed up slightly, pulling him with her. She was now inches from the open grate on her right. She didn’t have to flash this pattern much longer.

It was 2:10.

She let him touch her a moment longer before she began.

She caught him completely off guard, flipping his body off of her. She leapt out from under him, shoving him to her right with all her force. Chase yelled. His eyes looked wildly around him like a trapped animal as he teetered on his back at the edge of the grate. Seeing him so helpless made Kya sick. Maybe this was wrong, maybe he was still a good person, maybe, maybe….

She reached towards his body, frantically trying to pull him back. Feeling something sharp in her hand she instinctively pulled with all her force. A loud snap cracked the still night air and Chases’ body hurdled through the grate. Kya leaned over the edge watching him flounder for his life, his gaze still locked on her. She watched with relief and horror as the shape grew smaller and smaller until it evaporated into the darkness. She leaned back, away from the gaping hole of death, her heart pounding. Her breath came fast, and she felt dizzy and nauseous. As she stared into the night, she slowly became aware of a throbbing pain in her hand. She looked down.

There in her palm was the shell necklace.

***********

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed it. Kudos and comments are much appreciated. Have a wonderful day :)


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